Just Children
by wariotheavatar
Summary: Meelo, Ikki and Jinora are in danger, and Bolin's the only one who can save them from The Equalists. But will he be able to?


Inspiried by the fanart "My Hero": post/22568014909/my-hero-3

Bolin's feet slapped against the pavement as he sprinted towards Tenzin's house. His breath came in short bursts and his abdomen felt like it would explode, but he couldn't stop. There was no one else who could save them besides him. Mako, Korra, Tenzin... They were all fighting their own desperate battles against the Equalists' sudden huge attack against the Councilmen and their families.

He turned a corner and finally the house came into view. The last slivers of sunset cast the house in an ominous blood-red shadow that made Bolin fear the worst. Ikki, Jinora, Meelo... If anything happened to any of them...

Then, he heard a sharp, high-pitched cry come from the house.

He ran faster. No, even running was too slow. Kicking the ground, Bolin launched himself towards the house with earthbending.

Finally, the door was in front of him. At the sound of another cry, Bolin rammed into the door with his shoulder and smashed it down; every second counted. His feet slipped and he lost his balance but gripped the side of the wall and used it to keep going without slowing down. He saw blue sparks from the corner of his vision. An equalist. Bolin entered the room.

The equalist looked at him for a moment. Out of the corner of his eyes, Bolin could see the three children, terrified. Jinora stood in front of Ikki and Meelo, arms stretched out in front of her, protecting them. It reminded Bolin of how Mako had defended him when they were living on the streets. Against thugs five times as old as Mako. Looking back, Bolin felt so much guilt for making his brother do that. No one that young should have that much responsibility, to have to defend someone else. And now Jinora had.

Pulse pounding with rage, Bolin smashed his head into the Equalist's with a cry.

His vision swirled, and he felt his balance give. Bolin reached for his head, and tried to still the shaking world. It had been a stupid move, a headbutt, but there was no way he was going to let anyone hurt these kids. All Bolin could think of was how he had already forced Mako to go through that far too many times.

"BOLIN!" He felt arms embrace him. Through the throbbing, he looked down and saw Ikki clinging to him, her head shaking with sobs.

"It's okay. No one's going to hurt you," Bolin said. He looked up. Meelo was still backed in the corner, and Jinora was standing over him, one arm placed on his shoulder. She was staring at Bolin with piercing eyes. "No one's going to hurt _any_ of you," he said to them.

"We were so scared, they were going to take us, they were!" Ikki spat out through sobs, still talking as fast as ever. "Jinora was gonna fight them, but- And- and- THEY TOOK MOMMY!" Ikki's talking stopped, and she dissolved into animalistic cries of sorrow.

Bolin squeezed her as tightly as he could and stroked her hair, trying to remember what Mako did to calm him down when he was a kid. "Don't worry, she'll be okay."

"Is that where... Daddy is?" Meelo said. Bolin looked up and saw that Meelo had gotten up and was standing next to Jinora, their hands together. He looked so much more... vulnerable than Bolin had ever seen before. He hated it.

"Uh..." Bolin thought quickly for a moment. It would be a lie to say Tenzin was looking for Pema, but maybe that's what they needed. Mako had lied to him. But then, Bolin wasn't Mako. "No..." he said, to the children's dismay. More tears welled up in Ikki's eyes, and Bolin suddenly realized what he had to do. "But once I get you to safety I'll find her. And bring her back to you. I swear."

"You swear?" Jinora said. Those eyes... They seemed to pierce right to Bolin's soul.

"_I swear_" Bolin said. Jinora gave a small nod.

_...On my life_, he thought afterwards. No one else was going to become parentless. Not so long as he was alive to try and stop it.

"Now come on, let's get you gu-" Suddenly, Bolin felt a brutal shock go through him and he was launched through the air. He hit the wall with a smash.

Dust fogged his vision. He saw a figure move towards him and then a foot smashed into his face. Bolin screamed with horrible pain. He felt blood flow down his face as he shakily stood up.

In front of his were four chi-blockers armed with electric wands... and The Lieutenant.

Bolin immediately threw his fist at one of the chi blockers, but just got another shock set to him. He stumbled back, and saw Ikki, Meelo and Jinora all right behind him. They looked up to him. Desperate. Defenseless. They were all so young.

Bolin held out his arms across them, separating them from the Equalists.

"Leave them alone!" Bolin cried angrily, blood falling over his tongue. "They're just children!"

"Just children?" The Lieutenant laughed bitterly. "You really think your side is so innocent."

"_They're_ innocent."

"FOOL!" The Lieutenant cried, sending lightening across the room. Bolin heard cries of fear behind him, but he couldn't look away. He had to face this man.

"What do you think happens to the children on our side when your Task Force sends their parents to jail? What do you think Tarrlok or Tenzin do if they find a child spying for us?" The Lieutenant pointed his baton at Bolin. "They take them! We are simply following what your side has already done."

"But that doesn't-" Bolin started.

"And not that you care, but these children too are not innocent. The boy attacked one of us!"

Bolin glanced back at the children. Meelo was looking down.

"I just wanted to help Daddy..." Meelo said, so quietly Bolin could barely hear him.

"It's time for you benders to learn that your actions have consequences. Now leave Earthbender, and we might spare you."

Bolin looked at The Lieutenant, stared him straight in the eye.

"No."

"Then face the consequences."

And suddenly all five Equalists were attacking Bolin. With no place to back up to, Bolin threw up a shield of earth, and dug his feet in to hold it.

"RUN!" he grunted at them as he pressed all his might into keeping the wall up. Jinora grabbed Ikki and Meelo and ran into the next room. As Meelo left, Bolin saw his hand go out towards Bolin, a sign of encouragement. Through it all, Bolin smiled.

A second later Bolin felt a blast that sent him flying back in a sea of rubble. A hand came shooting out and- "AH!" Bolin's left arm fell limb. He jumped back and kicked up a sheet to throw the Chi-Blocker off of him. He couldn't afford to lose any other part of his bending.

Two came from opposite sides, one with a baton and one with her knuckles at the ready. Bolin ducked and spun the ground that the attackers were standing on in a circle, turning them backwards. Desperate to take one out, he collapsed a wall on the left chi-blocker. A howl confirmed that it had worked.

He spun around just in time to dodge another baton blast and launched the Equalist across the room with his leg. But a moment later he felt a jab at his stomach. Bolin kicked up a boulder blindly at the attacker and heard a scream. Dust and rubble blocked out the quickly disappearing sunset. Darkness surrounded him, and the only light was the flicker of the blue electricity. There were two shots right for him and he couldn't dodge them both-

The volts discharged into him and he stumbled back. His vision suddenly was covered in a sea of green zigzags that must have been an effect from the voltage. A hand punched Bolin's arm- Bolin flung the attacker back with his still good arm. He smirked. _Wrong arm_, he thought.

He saw blue fly toward him and he dodged recklessly, hitting the wall with a cry. He spun up and lobbed three stones blindly, and heard one connect. He tried to remember how many blockers he'd taken down, but it was impossible. Every second he fought, his mind seemed to get foggier and foggier.

Another fist towards him, another dodge, another throw.

Blue. Electricity surged through him. Screaming out.

Fists. Throwing stone.

Green covering his vision.

_Can't. _

_Keep. _

_Fighting._

Bolin lifted his one good hand and in desperation brought it down with the rest of his strength. All the walls around him crumbled, and the roof too. Bolin felt rocks plummet downwards, and he deflected as many as he could based on sound alone, but even that was hard due to the loud ringing in his ears. After a moment, the rumble stopped and it was quiet except for the ringing.

Bolin collapsed onto the ground, panting hard. Cuts and bruises stung from everywhere on his body. At each part he had been shocked, there was an aftershock that was so painful it was unbelievable. He felt like he was about to faint. But he couldn't. Not yet.

He got up and half walked, half crawled towards the green-blue glow of The Lieutenant. Somehow, he had the strength to lift the man up from the rubble and press him against the wall. He stared at him threateningly.

"Where. Is. Pema?" Bolin said, clutching the man's collar.

"In- our truck- with- the rest," the man cried, his voice weak and body weaker. His goggles had been crushed from the rocks.

"Where's, the, truck?" Bolin growled savagely, surprising even himself with how cruel he sounded.

"Please! Near- the arena." And with that, Bolin dropped the man with a thud. He walked through the destroyed room into the next.

Inside, he saw the children. As he walked in, their expressions exploded into happiness, and Meelo and Ikki ran to Bolin. Bolin grunted in pain as they threw their arms around his again. He dropped down to them.

"Did you beat the bad guys?" Meelo asked through snotty tears.

"Every last one," Bolin smiled, and rustled Meelo's hair.

"And- and- and-... are you okay?" Ikki asked.

Bolin thought. His vision was still hazy, there was a sharp buzzing in his ear, blood dripped from too many places to count, and he could barely even kneel.

"I'm alright," he said.

"... What about our mom?" Jinora asked. Bolin looked up. She was so serious, unsettlingly different from before tonight. He knew she must have felt the responsibility of being the adult now. Just like Mako had had to be.

"I know where she is. And... I'll find her," he said, and stood up. A loud groan of pain escaped his lips as he did. The kids looks up, and Bolin quickly shut himself up.

"Are you sure you can? You sound, and look, like a dead guy, except maybe worse than that even," Ikki said.

Bolin stared down at them. Honestly, he didn't know if he could. He'd have to face far more Equalists than the five he just had. And all he wanted to do was collapse and die.

But the time where he could leave his problems to someone else was gone. Mako wasn't here to defend him anymore, and he didn't want that either. He was going to get back these children's mother. He was going to be the man Bolin had dreamed about so much when he was a kid, a man that could've saved his father from dying. He had promised them. He had promised them on his _life_.

"Yes, I can," Bolin said, and stood up as tall as he could. "I'll get your mother back." He placed his arm around Jinora, and looked down at her. "But first, let's get you three somewhere I know no one will be able to hurt you." Jinora nodded, and they started to walk.

"We could've faced them," Meelo said, trying to appear brave and strong.

"It's okay," Bolin said. "You're just children."

Jinora looked at Bolin, and for the first time, there was a faint smile on her face.

"But _you're_ just a big kid!"

Hope you enjoyed it, and please feel free to review. My tumblr is nooodisaster.


End file.
